Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
One Russian official says the leak is unacceptable, later claiming parts of the recording to be fake.
A leak of phone conversations between Donald Trump associate Steve Witkoff and senior Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov has set off political shockwaves in Moscow and Washington.
Bloomberg published the audio on Tuesday, presenting what appeared to be behind-the-scenes discussions on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The outlet later published a transcript of the leaked audio.
What did the audio reveal?
According to Bloomberg’s reporting, Witkoff can be heard saying the key to a settlement would be “Donetsk” and expressing confidence that Trump would give him “a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal.”
Trump has defended him despite internal Republican criticism.
Kremlin rages
Reuters reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Western outlets of participating in “a hybrid information war waged by European countries against Russia.”
His remarks followed Ushakov’s initial acknowledgment to Russian state media that “someone leaks, someone listens in. But not us.”
Politico later noted that Ushakov revised his stance, claiming parts of the recordings “were fake.”
Ushakov admitted to speaking with Witkoff over WhatsApp, which is outlawed in Russia as “extremist,” hinting the app might have been hacked.
WhatsApp’s parent company rejected that suggestion, according to the Kyiv Post.
Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, Politico, Kommersant, TASS, Kyiv Post
